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May 13 Family Newsletter
Dear Families,
Thank you to all families and the PTA for making our Teacher and Staff Appreciation week a success. Your generosity was appreciated throughout the week.
Below we have some sign ups for end of the year events including Field Day and Career Day. This is also the final week to provide input to be taken into consideration for class placements for the 2026-2027 school year on the following form no later than Friday, May 15th.
Next Wednesday, May 20th is our final 3-hour early release at 12:30 pm. Families will receive an email by the end of the week to confirm what time you child is going home. It is also the date of our Kindergarten Orientation at 2:45 pm.
Upcoming Dates
Friday, May 15th - Parent Input for Class Placement Deadline
Saturday, May 16th - Panera Spirit Day
Wednesday, May 20th - 3-hour Early Dismissal
- Kindergarten Orientation @ 2:45 pm
-PTA General Membership Meeting 7:00 pm on Zoom
Monday, May 25th - Memorial Day Holiday
Tuesday, May 26th - Teacher Workday
Wednesday, May 27th - Eid al-Adha Holiday
Friday, May 29th - SCA Spirit Day - Wear UMES Colors
- UMES v. CES Staff Volleyball Game @ CVHS
Thursday, June 4th & Friday, June 5th - Field Days
See the complete school year calendar
A Hatch-tastic Learning Experience!
Students in Mrs. Lins' first grade class had an exciting opportunity to watch baby chicks hatch right in their classroom! During Language Arts, students visited a special “Chick Observation Station,” where they practiced their writing skills using the sentence frames “I see,” “I notice,” and “I wonder” to record their observations and questions about the chicks. This hands-on experience sparked lots of curiosity and thoughtful conversations. As a class, students also explored the life cycle of chickens and discussed how to care for living things by understanding their basic needs. The chicks have quickly become beloved classroom visitors, and students will be sad to see them leave at the end of the week!
Help Make Our Field Day Character-tastic!
Get ready for a day of animated fun! Our annual Field Days are right around the corner, and this year’s theme is Animated Characters. We are looking for volunteers to assist with game stations, encourage integrity and cheer on our athletes. Whether you’re a fan of Buzz Lightyear, SpongeBob, the Minions, we’d love to have you there!
Thursday June 4th:
Kindergarten: 9:30-11:00 am
1st & 2nd Grades: 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Friday June 5th:
5th & 6th Grades: 9:15-11:00 am
3rd & 4th Grades– 1:15-3:00 pm
Volunteers, thank you for completing ALL THREE Steps:
Step 1: Must be cleared Volunteer FCPS Level 1, FCPS requirement
Step 2: Field Days Volunteer Opportunity (FCPS), FCPS requirement
Step 3: Field Day Volunteer SignUp Genius, PE Teacher Organization tool
Thank you for helping us make these days our students will never forget!
Career Day
Union Mill is excited to host our annual Career Day on Tuesday, June 9th ! We would love to invite you to share your career with our students. If you have not joined us before, it involves a short presentation (with or without technology) and answering A LOT of questions! We hope you’ll join us. Please fill out this Google Form to share your interest.
If you have any questions please reach out to our counselors, Wendy Kourajian and Jenna Schmidt. Start times for each grade level are listed below:
1st: 2:45 pm
2nd: 9:15 am
3rd: 9:50 am
4th: 2:10 pm
5th/6th: 12:30 pm
Thank you so much for your support!
NVSWCD Conservation Poster Contest
Calling all student artists! Especially you, UMES third graders! From the department that put on your soil assembly earlier this year, here is an art contest for you to enter!
The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District is seeking students to design posters for the 2026 Youth Poster Contest. The theme for this year is "Soil: Where It All Begins.” This contest is open to all K-12 students in Fairfax County, and scouts are eligible to earn the VASWCD Poster Contest Patch. Students may enter hand-drawn, digital, braille, and additional assistance categories. Entries are due June 30, 2026.
Learn more about the poster contest categories and guidelines and download your entry form here.
Calling All Pizza Lovers … and Box Collectors!
We are gearing up for an epic Field Day, and we need your help to make one of our games a success! We are looking for donations of 100 new, unused pizza boxes.
Wait—why pizza boxes? While we’d love to say it’s for a giant lunch, these are actually for a fun Field Day game! To keep things clean and sturdy, we need boxes that have never seen a slice of pepperoni.
The Specs:
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Condition: Must be brand new and unused (no grease, please!).
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Size: Standard Large (14" or 16") is preferred, but we’ll take any consistent size.
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Quantity: We need 100 total. Every little bit helps!
How to Donate:
If you own a local pizza shop, know someone who does, or just want to pick up a stack from a restaurant supply store, please drop them off at the Front Office (attention: Physical Education Department) by May 28. Feel free to reach out to Manda Tirado if you have questions or have the connection: mktirado@fcps.edu
Fairfax County Public Library Student Art Contest
Students across Fairfax County are invited to celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month by participating in our art contest! We invite youth to draw inspiration from their families or their communities to portray the colorful, diverse county we share. Students will choose one of the following prompts for their art:
- This is my family’s journey.
- My cultural treasure box.
- Home means...
- Many cultures, one community.
Artwork is accepted in any format but needs to be scanned or photographed and submitted via our online form. One submission per student. No AI art will be considered. Three winners will be selected per category: Kindergarten-2nd grade, 3rd-6th grade and 7th-12th grade. Winners will receive a prize and have their art displayed in an exhibit.
To participate, you must be 5-18 and live or study in Fairfax County. All art should be submitted via our online form, which will be open from May 15 - June 15, 2026. Winners will be announced June 27, 2026 and winning artwork will be displayed in an exhibit.
https://research.fairfaxcounty.gov/kids/wherewebelong?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Parent Input for Class Placements 2026-2027
As we plan for the 2026-2027 school year, we are inviting your input. Creating class assignments require careful consideration and the involvement of many perspectives. We know a good teacher-student match and a productive mix of children are ingredients for success. Should you have additional information about your specific child that school staff may not know, particularly regarding learning style and classroom environment; you have the option to complete the following form no later than Friday, May 15th.
Kindergarten Registration
Online Registration is now open for the 2026-27 school year!
Kindergarten helps children learn and practice the social, emotional, problem-solving, and self-regulation skills they will use throughout their lives.
New-to-FCPS families create a ParentVUE account for online access. Details are available here: Welcome to Fairfax County Public Schools' (FCPS) Online Registration | Fairfax County Public Schools
Current families can register their new student through their existing ParentVUE account. (No need to register students returning to UMES.)
Our Registrar, Catherine Dubas, is happy to process registrations directly, as well. Please contact her at cmdubas@fcps.edu and be ready to provide your family’s address and rising kindergartener’s date of birth. Catherine will respond with registration details and documents necessary to start the process.
Spring registration puts you on the list for school communications, so don’t wait!
Kindergarten Orientation
🗓️ New Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
🕓 Time: 2:45 – 3:45 PM
📍 Location: Union Mill Elementary School
We look forward to meeting you and beginning this exciting partnership together!
Early Release Wednesdays
The Centreville Pyramid, which includes Union Mill Elementary, will have one more three-hour early release on Wednesday, May 20th and students will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m. This time allows for our staff to plan, collaborate and grow professionally.
Thank you for your help in making this remaining day smooth and enjoyable for everyone!
Additional information can be found on the FCPS Early Release Wednesdays webpage.
UMES PTA
Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week
Last week was one of our favorite weeks of the school year as a PTA - Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week. It was a week full of celebrating the teachers and staff who make UMES such a wonderful school and help our kids grow and learn each day. We hope we made them feel how appreciated they are and we are already looking forward to the next TAW at UMES!
Thank you to all of the volunteers and families who helped make this weeklong event a success. We could not do it without you - from your help stocking the lounge with snacks and drinks, to helping out at recess last Friday so our teachers could have a “Happy Half Hour”, to encouraging your child to make their teacher a card, or even just taking a moment to say thank you. Every act of appreciation for our UMES teachers and staff does not go unnoticed.
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Special thanks to Jennifer Castilleja, who leads the Teacher Appreciation Week effort at UMES, along with her team of parent volunteers. It is Jenny and the team's dedication, planning, hard work, and organizing that make this event such a success.
Flower Power Grade Challenge: It’s the Last Week!
Win a Spirit Day for Your Entire Grade!
It’s the final days of the Flower Power Grade Challenge!! Get those orders in by Friday the 15th!
From lilies and poppies to hostas and strawberries - there is something for every yard and garden! Orders are delivered directly to your home. The PTA earns 50% of each sale to support school programs.
PLUS win a grade-wide Spirit Day for your student - check out the school lobby to see grades (butterfly) jump along the flowers and see who is in the lead. Contest ends May 15th.
You can order here.
Spirit Day at Panera – This Saturday!
This Saturday is UMES PTA Spirit Day at Panera in the Colonnade! Online orders placed all day will count! So if you're out and about for activities on Saturday, make a meal easier on yourself and order breakfast, lunch, or dinner at Panera. Use code FUND4U for online orders, in the Panera App, or at the kiosk in the café.
Check out the following flyer with more information.
PTA General Membership Meeting
PTA meetings are for everyone. The only requirement to attend is being a member of our school community, so please mark your calendar! Next Wednesday, May 20, 7 PM - PTA Meeting. We will vote on our UMES PTA 2026/27 Board, get a Principal's Report from our admin team, and talk about year-end wrap up including the Staff Volleyball Game vs. CVES on May 29!
We need a quorum of 10 PTA members to vote so please sign in to join us. Please note that membership is required to vote. This meeting will be virtual (Zoom) so you can join from anywhere! PTA members received a link in their eNews this week. If you’re not a member of the PTA, please e-mail pta@unionmillpta.org and we will send you the Zoom meeting information!
UMES PTA 2026/27 Nominees
President - Juliet Prillaman
VP, Volunteers - Emily Sachdev
VP, Ways and Means - Kristina Keller
Treasurer - Megan Wilkins
Corresponding Secretary - Jane Durrett
Recording Secretary - Laura Vather
Also available for review prior to the meeting: April Budget Report, YTD through April Budget Report, and April 2026 UMES PTA General Membership Meeting Minutes.
Annual UMES vs. CVES Staff Volleyball Game
It's that time Union Mill... time to take down CVES! The annual UMES vs. CVES Staff Volleyball Game will be on Friday, May 29 at Centreville High School at 6pm and tickets are now ON SALE!
Tickets are $5 each or $20 for a family pack. Buy early to avoid the lines! Go Bears! Buy tickets.
Box Tops for Education
We are a Box Tops for Education school! All you have to do is download the app and scan your printed receipts or upload your digital receipts. Shopping at Walmart? Just connect your account, no scanning required!
Click this link to get started and use code P7R07LNQ!
Updated UMES PTA Calendar of Events
View our updated calendar of events here.
Visit us at unionmillpta.org, follow the PTA on Facebook @UMESPTA and email us anytime at pta@unionmillpta.org.
Union Mill Hours
Bell Schedule
Doors open at 8:35 am. Students should be in class by 8:45 am.
Students are dismissed at 3:30 pm.
Office Hours
Monday - Friday - 8:15 am - 4:15 pm
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